When you look at this book, you might think it’s an old, ordinary Quran. But it’s the foundation of my family’s identity. My grandfather handcrafted this Quran by hand, assembling the pages and writing every Arabic verse himself. His dedication to faith and teaching inspired generations. He taught all his children Arabic with this very book. That’s how my father’s journey began. In 1983, at 17 while in Nigeria, he earned a scholarship to study Islamic studies in Pakistan. He then moved to the UK, worked at a mosque and deeply engaged with the Muslim community, and later to the U.S., where he taught Arabic and served as Imam. Inspired by my grandfather, my father wrote a four-volume work on Quranic virtues, hoping people would learn more about Islamic values and beauty through it.


Now this Quran is part of my American story. I grew up between Egypt and the U.S., sometimes unsure where I belonged. Yet the beauty of Quranic recitation inspired me to read, write, and speak Arabic. Just as my father wrote books, I write poems drawn from the Quran’s melody and lessons. There was a time I wanted to “feel American,” but I couldn’t define it. Eventually I realized being American means carrying multiple identities, embracing heritage while living in a country of many cultures. This book is more than paper and words. It’s our legacy. It connects my past and present. And in America, it helped me answer: What does it mean to be American?


 

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